1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to pillows. More particularly, the invention relates to a pillow for supporting the head and cervical region of a person when the person is in a reclining or prone position, and especially to such a pillow which is inflatable and is capable of providing yieldable support with controllable firmness, shape and thickness, and which occupies very little space when deflated.
2. Prior Art
Proper head and cervical support is an important contributing factor to restful sleep. Inappropriate support of the head and cervical region can interfere with sleep, and cause stiffness and soreness.
Different individuals require or desire pillows of different shape and firmness.
Accordingly, there are a large number of pillows of different shape and firmness, intended to meet the different needs of many different individuals. This requires the manufacture and inventory of a large number of different pillows. Moreover, an individual may try many different pillows before finding one that is appropriate, or may never find a pillow that meets the particular requirements of that person.
For instance, some persons like a firm pillow, while others like a soft pillow. Additionally, some persons like a pillow of substantial thickness, while others prefer a relatively thin pillow. If a thick and soft pillow is used, then the user's face may become partially obstructed when the user is lying on his or her side, whereby breathing may be impaired.
Efforts have been made in the prior art to solve some of the above problems, including the manufacture of inflatable and/or shaped pillows designed to enable the user to control the firmness, shape, and/or thickness of the pillow. Other pillows have been provided with cut-outs or recessed areas to provide clearance for the face of a person when the person is lying on his or her side, whereby breathing is not impeded by the pillow. Examples of prior art inflatable and/or shaped pillows are shown in U.S. Pat. No. Des. 351,526, U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,295,906, 3,298,044, 3,568,227, 4,118,813, 4,501,034, 4,724,560, 4,805,603 and 5,642,544. U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,295,906 and 4,118,813, in particular, have cut-out portions in their opposite ends to provide clearance for the face of a person using the pillow, whereby the pillow does not impede breathing when the person is lying on his or her side. The remaining listed patents disclose pillows having inflatable chambers for varying the shape and/or firmness of support of the pillow. Most of these do not make any particular effort to provide specific support for the cervical region, and none of them provide an inflatable pillow with shaped recesses intended to provide clearance for the face of a person sleeping on his or her side, whereby breathing is not impeded.
Further, none of the prior art patents noted above discloses an inflatable pillow having an inner inflatable bladder constructed to provide a particular shape and/or areas of different firmness and thickness to a pillow, with an outer covering of soft fibrous material that may be removed for cleaning, etc.